10 Things This LuLaRoe Retailer Wishes You Knew

Many of you know that until recently, I’ve taken some time off from my blog to run my LuLaRoe business. Over that time there has been a lot of changes to the company and a lot of news – some of it not so flattering. There are a few things about LuLaRoe that I’d like you to know.

1. LuLaRoe is not a pyramid scheme.

Wait, what? It’s true that LuLaRoe has a downline structure, and it’s true that sponsors make commissions off of their downline sales, but that’s not the whole story. To collect a commission, a mentor, coach, trainer or sponsor must sell a certain amount of pieces per month, and his/her team must also sell a certain amount of pieces per month. In other words, everyone needs to sell the clothes, and those in leadership must demonstrate their prowess by meeting a certain standard. In my opinion, it’s best to think of LuLaRoe as a franchise. I have a small business. I buy clothes at wholesale and sell them at retail.

2. I am a big girl, and I wasn’t duped by anyone.

I knew joining LuLaRoe was a business risk. And here’s a little secret. I signed up for LuLaRoe before I even tried on a stitch of the clothing. I was looking for a business opportunity, and I kept seeing friends in my newsfeed actively looking for retailers. No one pressured me into become a retailer. I actively sought out my sponsor and asked about her experience. After a lot of calculation, I decided to take the plunge.

3. I am not trying to recruit you.

I heard a statistic several months ago that over 70% of LuLaRoe retailers do not have a downline. In fact, if you’d like to become a LuLaRoe retailer, I can direct you to some wonderful sponsors, but it’s just not on my list right now. I’m a mom. I have a full-time job on top of my LuLaRoe business. My sponsor pours so much time and attention into my business, I don’t know if I could offer the same to someone else.

4. I would rather you bring me a new customer than buy something you don’t love.

LuLaRoe clothing has the power to make women feel beautiful. When you buy something from me that you love and wear it around town, you are the best marketing I could ask for. Just be sure to tell everyone who compliments you who you bought it from.

5. I don’t love every print either.

You guys, I have actually opened a box and cried because I didn’t like what I got. There was one specific piece that I thought was the ugliest thing I had ever seen. That weekend, I went to a pop-up and the hostess picked up that item and fell in love. And you know what? It looked great on her. Not all prints are for everyone, but all prints are for someone.

6. Adding a new style or capsule is a huge investment.

Retailers curate their inventory based on what sells. To add a style means buying (and paying for, up front) at least 5 items in 7 different sizes, and I don’t want that inventory to sit around – it needs to move! Same goes for capsules and the like. I spend a lot of time calculating the risk of taking on something new, as does any retailer. That said, if there is something specific you are looking for in a style I don’t carry, I would love to help you find it!

7. I don’t understand why you shop the supersized groups.

I recently watched a live sale with over a thousand viewers. The retailer wasn’t even wearing LuLaRoe, and it was the most chaotic scene. So many people competing to claim items I had just sitting here in my house. There was nothing about the live video or the retailer that was any different than my lives, she just has a lot of customers. Good for her! But seriously, there are so many retailers who are going to offer a better, less stressful shopping experience.

8. If I don’t have what you want in stock, I can probably find it for you.

LuLaRoe retailers are connected, especially when it comes to swapping inventory. I have access to hundreds of thousands of pieces each week. I love going the extra mile for my loyal customers. Tell me what you’re looking for and the size, and unless it’s a truly sought-after unicorn (tie-dye pink dipped Amelia anyone?) or solid black, I can probably get it for you.

9. I’m my own best customer.

I’m not kidding when I say that LuLaRoe changed my life. When I had my son, I was so lost about who I was supposed to be, except I needed to be comfortable. I literally thought to myself “I guess I’m giving up on ever looking good again.” Today, I not only dress up, I do my hair and makeup. I wear jewelry! I’m feeling more fabulous than I ever have in my life, and it’s as simple as clothes that are comfortable and flatter my real mom-bod.

10. It’s a full-time job, and not everyone is cut out for it.

As with anything, there are good retailers and not so good retailers. There are people who were ready to own a small business and people who weren’t. Some people have been wildly successful, but most people are hustling for every sale. And that’s ok! Retail is a long-game business. It takes time to curate your inventory, learn your customers and then evolve as fashion and social media and customers change. But make no mistake, you gotta WERK.

I love this business. I love my customers. It would honor me to serve you this holiday season with your LuLaRoe wishlist. To join my group, click this link!

84 Comments

Response from a former consultant, cruise winner, and former leader of 14 consultants. I never made trainer not because my team didn’t sell enough, they didn’t buy enough from Lularoe!

For years uplines, mentors and coaches were not paid based on sales, they were paid by what was ordered from Lularoe. Lularoe knew this wasn’t ok but took years to address this while everyone’s pickets got lined!

Also, Recruiting was something that was very heavily pushed on my team. A consistent message of part time work for full time money was told to us often but the work was never part time!

I’m sorry that was your experience. It certainly isn’t mine. When I started I was required to purchase 30 items per month from LLR. That was never difficult. Now that has changed, and I’m grateful. I don’t pretend to know what people are thinking or their motives are at the top, but I did know what I was getting into, and I never had any pressure from my upline.

Firstly if you don’t remember the beginning of LuLaRoe the allowed us to run our merchant services through any platform we chose. That could be your bank or PayPal or square and they told us in the beginning that meant they couldn’t track our sales they could only track our orders. They fixed the merchant issue first because it was difficult for retailers to track and pay their sales tax, so once that was in place they were always moving towards sales based rewards. This was ALWAYS the plan. Don’t tell half the story. They grow they evolve and do it with their best efforts. And they have changed so many things for the better.

I’ve been a trainer for almost two years and they changed the compensation plan shortly after I joined…let’s get the time line a bit more accurate…”years”. The company is not yet 5 years old! Many DS company’s had compensation based on orders…that’s the industry model (Mary Kay is a pioneer, and has been around for over 50 years in DS and does just that) but LuLaRoe wanted to separate from the pack and made the switch! Thank you LLR for leading the way here…it helps us Trainers lead with integrity and keeps the focus on servicing our customers!

I’m a current retailer, cruise qualifier, sponsor and run a training group as well. I’ve been partnered with LuLaRoe for a year and a half through both types of compensation plans and through lots of changes. Thanks for this article-I wholeheartedly agree! I love what I’m doing, it’s providing what I need it to provide and it has brought color and community back into my life and allowed me to share that with other women all while making money. I’m with you girl-well said!

There are 145 million women in the US and only 4.8 million different debit/credit cards have been used to buy LLR. We have a long way to go before over saturation is even remotely possible! Thank God!!

i have been a retailer for over a year and EVERY event I do at least 40% of the guests have NEVER heard of Lularoe! We are far from market saturation! and the beautiful thing is we all carry different items so we can serve different customers.

Amanda, I would not let saturation be something that deters you from considering the opportunity with LuLaRoe! I am a retailer in Atlanta, Georgia where there are a lot of LuLaRoe Fashion Retailers! Market Saturation is not a worry for me because I brand my business inside my business. I use my platform with LuLaRoe as a ministry! My life story was like no one else’s and therefore, I feel like the shopping experience you get from me is not like what you may get from someone else in my market, so I just stay in my lane and do what works for me and I am successful at LuLaRoe! I don’t feed into the negativity that surrounds social media! I have been in business for almost a year! As Miri stated above, is exactly how I feel as a retailer also! I was not doped into this. I found the opportunity to have a small business and build a platform to do GOD’S work everyday and I absolutely love it. Do I think LuLaRoe had room for improvement? Absolutely! However, I also take into consideration they have only been in business 4 years and are still learning and I am totally willing to go through the growing pains and changes with them! I hope that helped and you will look into the opportunity to join LuLaRoe! My only suggestion would be to focus on all the positive things LuLaRoe has to offer! ❤️

My wife and I run 5-6 poop ups every weekend and there is always at least one person who has never seen or heard of LLR at every one. More often than not, more than half the attendees are purchasing their first piece. We Roe togeather and it’s the greatest thing that has happened to us

@Mandy Burnett NAILED IT! I also have been with LLR for about a year and a half (April 2016) and couldn’t be more thankful for what LLR has been able to do for my family and I. I get to stay home with my… dog, my husband and I are expecting our first baby, we’ve paid off loans and credit cards, and so much more!

Perfectly said! I have been a part of LuLaRoe from day 1. I was #13 to become a retailer! This company continues to bless lives for those who WORK for it. I don’t make money by posting a picture once in a while and kicking back the rest of the time. I work hard and smart! I love my business. Thank you for saying perfectly the thoughts of my heart!

Thank you for sharing this article!! I loved it, and it very accurately describes my LLR journey as well. My sister and I started our business together 2 1/2 years ago when there was only 2,500 retailers. It has been a journey, and a risk-just like starting up any new business is. But I love it, love the people, love the customers, and love the owners (who are wonderful people!) LLR has given me the opportunity to quit my FT job and work from home. Honestly, it is hard work! But I’ am a business owner and do it every day because my businesses success is up to me!

Well said, Miri and Becca! Nothing worthwhile is ever handed to you…it takes hard work and dedication. These little whiners that thought they were gonna get a box of LLR and it would magically sell itself while the money flowed in make me sad. I’ve seen how hard these consultants work to build and keep a business going…which is why I’m happy to just keep buying outfits, and not become a consultant!!! Good job on a great article!

Amen Sandy, I’m with you on that. I’ve been approached to do LLR and know for the work needed, it was NOT for me. The upfront costs were too much and having inventory, taking it so that others can see it and all the responsibility that goes with it would be too much for me.

I like the clothes most of the time and have met some incredible people.

Thanks for sharing. It’s interesting that all direct sales is automatically labeled “pyramid scheme.” I work for an organization that supports enterprise and small business salespeople. Our sales organization and that of every other company I’ve worked for provides incentives to its sales leadership for successful, high performing teams. Sales leaders are rewarded when their teams succeed. That’s not unique to direct sales models.

Why are so many consultants going out of business? When I first started buying LLR, I paid full price for items. I can’t tell you how many items I paid full price for! Now I only buy from consultants who are selling off their stock at wholesale.

I don’t know if this is true however I had heard that early on LLR promised to buy back consultant’s stock at what they paid for it. I heard that this isn’t the case now.

I think the market is saturated with LLR. Just look at all the LLR sites on Facebook. I wish the best of luck to current and future consultants.

For zillions of reasons, literally. A few of my friends had kids, went back to school or whatever. Others got out because they spent more than they made, reinvested everything and made nothing, or found out that it’s a lot of work to run your own business. Some left the business because of health problems or returning to the workforce full time. Running an inventory-based business is tough.

Earlier this year, certainly not early on, LuLaRoe started offering a buyback of 100% of what a retailer paid if they were leaving the business to ease the strain of people who were going out of business and selling their merchandise for a fraction of what they even paid for it. The policy has always been 90% and you pay return shipping, so this whole 100% buyback AND free shipping was a great way to allow some people to exit the business gracefully and recoup their investment. We are back to the original policy of 90% and we pay for the shipping back to LLR.

As far as the saturation goes, there are 3 consultants in my neighborhood (we’re about 4 streets) and we aren’t even saturated here. The internet is like a fishbowl, it can be saturated with anything if you look in the right place but the overall scope is something completely different.

Many find that the business is not for them for many reasons. And that is ok. Unfortunately, limiting yourself to only purchasing from those going out of business you don’t get to select from the latest and greatest styles or patterns and you won’t have a full time Retailer to go to for special items you are want or for VIP rewards. For many that may not be a concern, I understand bargains and deals are something everyone looks for but when you want something new a Retailer who is in the business for the long haul may be something you want to consider.

100% THIS!!! Often “sales” are not even “sales” when I hear of folks getting damaged merchandise, late shipments, and retailers who say it’s “final sale.” What happens then? Retailers like myself take the items back and give the customer a full price replacement and our guarantee, hoping we’ve made a customer and friend for life.

There are many reasons. Often people don’t realize the time it take to run a small business (taxes,write offs exact) and some may for life reasons.
We sign at the time we join that LLR WILL BUY NEW WITH TAG inventory back at 90% what we paid. Which is a guideline by the FTC. They offered 100% temporarily however some sent back items in very poor condition thus ruining the 100% buy back for others.
One thing I wish was mentioned was shopping GOOB sales or telling an active retailer you shopped one. It defeating to us as we work hard to bring you new product and when you shop a consultant who is breaking her construct by selling these items to you at this price it’s hard for us to compete. Believe me I love a deal as much as anyone but I know in business like these where margins are tight and we pay for EVERYTHING (shipping packaging marketing etc) loosing a sale to a discounter or GOING OUT OF BUSINESS sale is hard.

As a retailer, you shouldn’t be required to have a contract that says you can’t sale at a discount…. Especially as there are definitely pieces that would be hard to move otherwise…. Sales are a part of retail and if a % off allows you to recoup your cost and move inventory I don’t understand why that is frowned upon…. Other than it makes other retailers complete with the same…. I was introduced to LLR by a friend that sells and will buy from her retail if I love a piece but also shop discount …. Regardless if the company has written in that discounting isn’t ok….

it seems as if you comment is coming from some sort of bias towards MLM and I am sorry you’ve had a bad experience that may cause you to feel this way. Mary Kay is an MLM and has been around for over 50 years. You’re right some do fail but a MLM is not a business model limited to direct sales. If I owned 2 restaurants and I make money off the performance of both-is that a MLM? I recruit another person to open a restaurant-again a MLM.
I’m unsure where you are garnering you information pertaining to an income disclosure as lularoe does not product “sales” – their sales are based on wholesale purchases. Retailers sell products and these retailers have – by their own accord-signed a legal document to do this. they are assumed to be of right mind to do so. by signing up you are also assuming a certain risk reward-as would be if i wanted to buy a Papa Johns franchise or something-my profit from that venture is solely based on my efforts.
my invitation to you is to speak to retailers who are working hard at this- or from any work from home business. learn WHY they do it. To pay for their kids school, their bills or just to feel a sense of freedom and something they can be proud of.

I agree. I know a ton going out of business and if I want something, I just join a “going out of business” LLR group. I guess we aren’t going to talk about the big lawsuit in California against LulaRoe? If you are actually sharing the “whole” experience that is.

I love this. So well said. The negative publicity has been ridiculous. I am a customer. A very loyal customer. A VERY ACTIVE customer. With any business, if you don’t have inventory, you can’t do business. If your inventory never changes, you aren’t going to do business. Business changes daily, weekly, monthly… like a mouse in a maze, find your cheese! I love LuLaRoe. I love the clothes, I love the people, I love the company. They have made a difference in who I am and the way I feel. They have contributed to causes that I am passionate about. Thank you thank you thank you!

Yes on the shopping a large group thing!! I don’t understand why people will go through the stress of trying to score an item in a live sale or album sale that has HUNDREDS of other people fighting for tye same item. Do they not realize they can go to smaller groups?? I ALWAYS score my unicorns ftom small groups. And I feel bad because my group that I was completely loyal to somehow recently blew up, so they went from having like 20 people watching a live sale, to 2000!! So I don’t shop with them anymore, because I refuse to race 60 other people (yes they frequently will have 60 SOLD comments under one picture) for a pair of leggings when I know I can find them elsewhere. I’m so happy for their success, but sad I can’t shop with them anymore.

I used to shop small groups till I started having the problem of my items having issues with my purchases (i.e. multiple shirts pilling after one wear, 7 pairs of leggings developing holes (one of which was an unicorn that could never be replaced), an Amelia with a zipper issue from day one, etc) When it was time to contact about replacement I would hit a wall because the group was no longer there. So many times I purchased an item from a smaller group only to have the rep leave the business and stop returning my emails. I agree that the big groups are a hassle though. There are pros and cons to all sizes of groups. I just wish that LulaRoe would stand behind the clothes and make returns/replacements easier on the customers so I wouldn’t have to stick with larger groups that have a better chance at longevity.

Thanks for this article! I shop with a smaller retailer because she is awesome. She makes me outfits, and because her lives are smaller, she can chat with us while she does the sales. I love to participate in the lives, it’s like a fun little community. Thanks for all that you do and for making shopping with for clothes with 2 small children, one of whom is autistic. My girl always makes me put on my leggings when I get home!

I love my Lularoe too. I have been working on the accounting side of Lularoe for 5 years. I wear it everyday. I hear you all say you are business women and that this is your business. This being the case I urge you to run it like a business. Watch your over head. Watch your inventory. Keep aware of the market. This business unlike other encourages consultants to invest in a incredibly high amount of stock. Sales are created with a “buying frenzy” method. This as most marketing minded business people know is very risky to maintain. In other words, it will end. Look at your major stores in these current times. They carry very limited stock and inventory. The risk is not profitable.
The monopoly Lularoe has making consultants use their own credit card processing, paying on prepaid credit cards and paying sales tax for all consultants isn’t good business methods. You are extremely over charged with fee’s and your sales tax is incorrectly reported by Lularoe Corp because consultants are not even required to report the needed information for Lularoe Corp to pay the correct tax. Many states complain that they are underpaid and it could come back on the consultants. DO you as a consultant report and pay your collected sales tax on cash sales and on your give “aways” (use tax). Do you collect sales tax for the location of the sale? Do you have a city business licenses and report city taxes to the cities the sales are made in? Do you have insurance to use your house as a business? This is just a few risks to consultants with the Lularoe System. The new Bless system has tried to correct many of these issues in the first years but bottom line it still isn’t working. Be cautious and listen to the market so you are successful. I want to keep wearing my Lula!

Kendra, I’m not sure how you think we are so overcharged on fees; any credit card processor would charge the same. And as long as cash sales and giveaways are properly entered into Bless, the use tax is handled for us the same as sales tax.
Also, I’ve never been encouraged to carry more inventory than I’m comfortable with and can afford. We are constantly reminded that we are business owners that have to make those decisions for ourselves and our particular customer base.

Thank you for sharing. I agree 1000%!! I have been in this business since August 2016 and LOVE it. It has been hard work from day one, but I also see that the harder I work, the better my business becomes. That does not mean, by any means, I make more money with my hard work. It means I cultivate relationships, sew seeds for future interest, or maybe take on a project that I feel will help me months down the line. When I started I worked a full time “paycheck” job in corporate America. I worked for someone else to profit. Then, my life changed. My spouse suffered an injury and that corporate job was unable to wiggle for me even though I’d put in countless hours of overtime for them. So, I quit. I took my business sense and trusted that I would make LuLaRoe work for us.

I have a team of 3 lovely women who joined because they wanted to. I usually get a small bonus from them, but LuLaRoe could reinvent their compensation plan and take that away and I would be A-ok with that decision. Any retailer who has heart and passion for their business will tell you they make their profit off cultivating relationships, finding their niche, and working their heart out to make their business work. If they don’t, well, they’re likely not in the right field. I joined because I wanted an opportunity to be my own boss and work my tail off for my family.

I chose to build my inventory because I knew that more selection would translate into more sales eventually. I listened to what my customers wanted and provided for them. I still have a small group and I’m ok with that. Most of my customers know they could ask me to find them something or save them something (if it came in my box) and I would. I’ve often hunted down pieces for customers and sent them the items without them knowing (until it arrives in their box). It’s especially thrilling to get a message that I have brought tears to their eyes because no one has ever gone above and beyond for them. I’ve met some women that have become my best friends because of this business. My customers know me and my family by name, including all my animals! And yes, sometimes I think my dogs are more popular with them than I am! And no, not every transaction is like this and not every relationship is. But, isn’t that life and business? Tell me when the last time a “regular” retailer went into your wish list and just sent you, free of charge, your most wanted item? Oh hey Amazon, thank you for sending me the $1,000 espresso machine on my list…… not so much. Or maybe, a customer once shared in passing that their (insert loved one) passed away/was graduating/was getting married or whatever the circumstance was and I sent a message, a card, or even a pair of leggings to say “Hey, I was listening and I care.” Nope, can’t tell you when any other retailer I’ve been a customer of have done that. THIS is why you shop LuLaRoe independent retailers. THIS is why you choose to shop small. THIS is why you love the brand.

I’ve worked my arse off to get where I am. I’ve hustled, sacrificed, bled (dang racks for pop-ups!), tripped (ummm, winter in MN!), swore (ok, so that would happen anyways), sweated, and cried (happy and sad). I’ve found ways that work for me. I work long, hard hours and find myself up until 2 or 3 am on Sundays and Mondays especially after a weekend of full online sales so I can get packages out within 24 hours. I can’t say I have never complained about it, but I can say that I LOVE WHAT I DO AND IT SHOWS! I’ve qualified for that cruise for 11 months now based solely upon my own dedication to myself and my “tribe.” No one ever, EVER promised me the moon, the stars, or even a hint of unicorn dust. I ordered more because it was a good business strategy and because, well I SOLD THE THINGS and I needed more!
LOVE your LuLaRoe retailer. Find one that loves what they do and it shows. Look for the passion and I promise you, you will not be disappointed.
So, thank you, Miri for writing what so many of us feel, but don’t have the platform/audience that you do. Thank you for being a voice of reality and positivity. Thank you for loving what you do and who you are!

I was a consultant who went out of business but I will say I had a marvelous experience and wouldn’t change it for anything. First I will say that the owner Deanne is one of the kindest most generous people I have ever had the pleasure to work with. She truly loves her consultants and gives 110% for them. I was not one of the big producers or someone with a long down line. I was just a regular person trying to make a few extra $ and get the clothing I love at discount. Deanne heard I was struggling and personally called me to give me encouragement & guidance. You will not find that ANYWHERE in a company of this size. It was really amazing that she took time out of her extremely busy schedule. This company is the real deal. They have had some growing pains, but have always handled it with care & honesty. Considering the growth, I think they handled it all with great leadership & compassion. I went out of business Due to medical reasons, but I am determined to reopen in the future. Anyone looking to make a change in their lives or the lives of their family, want to work for a company that puts their people before money, and change the legacy of your family, this company is for you. You must be willing to work hard, but the rewards are worth every moment. Financial freedom, new friends & a community of retailers that stand by your side through it all!

absolutely brilliant!! thank you for writing it!! such a breath of fresh air to see a positive and whitty perspective-
lol only thing i’d add to it is “please don’t tell me about the $10 leggings you scored at a GOOB sale”

It is simple but it is not easy. It is work for sure, however more rewarding than any job I have ever held. My husband and I are active retailers (June 2016), 2017 cruise qualifiers and have ZERO down line. We have never seen a commission check. We have built a family like connection with our VIP customer community and we sell our butts off. Aside from our house payment, our family and business have ZERO DEBT. I was even able to bless him with a truck for his birthday in my 6th month of business. We paid cash for our Christmas and blessed other less fortunate families as well. We hold fundraisers for our daughters dance studio, ill children, local non profits and give back in more ways we could have ever imagined. LuLaRoe has truly been a blessing not only to our family but to our community. It is fulfilling to get a message about how amazing a customer feels in her new outfit or how they appreciate the extra step we took to add something for their child as a gift. It truly fills a purpose and I love that I have so many new friends brought together by something that is more than “just clothes”.

I love this article you wrote. I hate the bad publicity because people believe it. And some people commented that LLR is over saturated. Yes, there should not be that many of us, but on the flip side, if I have 300 loyal customers, I can serve them like they are VIPs. I can find what you need, and be that special service person. If I have 1500 loyal customers (I wish) it would be cold and not personal. I send get well cards, birthday cards, etc, because I know my people. They call me with requests and I try my best to find them. I love the clothes, I love how woman can find something beautiful to wear, and feel confident. I don’t make a million, I don’t make a ton but loving what you do is worth everything.

I am in the medical field by education…I picked up people that weighted 500 lbs, I have been spit on, had urine thrown at me, been hit in the chest by an Alzheimer’s patient, cleaned fecal material in a trail from here to there….it goes on and on. I made lots of $$$….so big deal!

I pick my 10 y/o up from school now. I am team manager of his DI team. I worked at Cub Scout camp. I went to every function at his school for the last 6 years. I help with homework. This seemingly prim and proper NY born lady with no outside skills at all has gone camping with her child, peed in the woods and walked trails that I was too scared to look down from. I have done the things my child hopefully will remember, and LuLaRoe helped me get there!

the same can be said about any company…
ask a franchise resturantuer how much they’ve spent on their cost compared to their profitability
ask a stylist how much money shes spent on training and booth rent and her profitibility
ask a brick and mortar store owner how much they spend on payroll and rent and their profitability.
you would never ask them this question. No one will post this to prove a point but will if the genuine and well minded interest is there.

I have put approximately $22,000 in this business since the end of June. That includes my initial investment. My first four months in the business have grossed $45,000. I do not have a single person downline for me. You tell me where else a 69-year-old woman can make $23,000 in four months. Even after I pay my taxes, that’s a pretty good chunk of change. That’s why those of us who are actual retailers, and work in our businesses, find this lawsuit to be laughable.

My sales this year are in excess of $175,000 as of today. My bonuses for the year are maybe $2,000-$3,000 total. If we roughly say my profit is 1/2 of what I have sold (but keep in mind we are small businesses and will take as many write-offs as legally available for tax purposes) it shows I have profited $87,000. I’m sure there ARE some leaders in the company who make a lot off bonuses in addition to their sales….. however, that’s just the way DS companies operate….. every DS company pays a bonus structure similar to this. The difference is you CAN make real money in LLR w/o a downline.

I love your article. I’ve been doing this for 8-9 months and enjoy it a lot. My only downside is trying to move items that aren’t that pretty. I try put new items in front of my current group and old items in front of new people but after awhile I still have remaining items to sell. There needs to be some way to turn over those items instead of being stuck with them. Also some capsules we can’t discount and what do you do with the stuff that doesn’t sell? Disney, for instance.

Lois – Excellent questions! This is the moment you realize that you are in fact the customer. The model that this company uses ensures that you, the customer, will have to buy more new stock while sitting on older stock. While you may be one of the lucky ones to reach profitability, more than 90% of people do not.

I agree that with different tastes there are many people who will buy what others consider ugly, but not all of it is saleable unless heavily discounted. I showed some Christmas items to my husband and he said they were so ugly he didn’t want them in the house. Santa had a 5 o clock shadow for goodness sake. Not to mention stolen art reproduced into lularoe is a huge no no.
I love some materials and hate others. There needs to be consistency with each line. Don’t make a perfect T is a soft material that is breathable and the next one has so much polyester I sweat in it all day. Most companies make their product lines have the same material. You don’t walk into Macys and have to shuffle through a rack of the same shirts to find one you like the feel, Buying online I don’t even have that option.

I am not paying $40 with shipping for a shirt I can’t wear because it is so hot I cant stand it.

Thank you for this reasonable side as we live it 🙂 I am a current new-ish retailer and here is a point I would like to make…. I don’t LOVE everything that Lularoe does or changes BUT I didn’t love everthing or every change at my last two “regular” jobs either and I was at each of those jobs a good five years. I think Lularoe is such an amazing company. I have encountered so many amazing people first as a shopper and even more now as a retailer. I have run into some that I did not care for and I quit shopping their group…. but it does not keep me from loving the product and shopping from the great people I have connected with in this great business.

Don’t get me wrong, I really really like the clothes. I don’t care for how sizing is because I know my real sizes and LLR is WAY off in some places. The part I wonder about is how y’all are trained to “befriend” customers and use an emotional appeal to sales. Calling everyone “honey” and “love” and stuff like that. It HAS to be in the training somewhere. Otherwise, why would a consultant that was acting like my best friend, saying let’s grab coffee, messaging me to see how I’m doing regularly, etc suddenly go all quiet when I say it’s getting close to the holidays and I’m going to be not spending for a while.

I’m sorry you had that experience with a retailer. that’s not how i run my business and that is not something that is “trained” it’s just good people skills to speak to people. I connect with my friends and customers on a personal level and try to support them in their own life journey- whether they purchase from me or not is secondary.

I don’t sell LLR but I am an avid lover of all their clothing and I DO work with another (non clothing based) DS company. I’m just starting to actually “try” with it, but they’ve always been really transparent with us, and I have seen the same spoken about from several of my favorite LLR consultants. They talk about what’s going on in the company and weigh the good with the bad. I wasn’t pressured into selling with my DS company, either. To be honest, I loved the product so much after I tried it that I wanted the discount. I’m still not sure what will happen with it but I will sing its gospels from the rooftop. Between it and how LLR clothing has given me comfort and allowed me to accept the changes that have come to my body has I’ve gotten older (confidence issues – weight gain :<) I am on cloud nine. I'm not a retailer for LLR but they have given me my boost back and inspired me to try other things. This article was awesome. thanks for this.

Inaccurate. We can form LLCs, etc if we desire, but if we don’t we are considered sole proprietors and pay taxes as such. . We still own a small boutique and LLR is simply our distributor. We could operate in the same fashion and buy wholesale from any other distributor.

Forming a LLC doesn’t make it any more legitimate than does a guy selling steaks out of the back of his van. He’s a LLC too. You could not operate in the same fashion as a vendor who sells clothes purchased from other distributors. Can you choose your inventory(colors, prints)? Could your business be profitable enough to take a paycheck without relying on downline bonuses? Does your vendor give you credit terms? Does your business not rely on someone else hosting your business in their home in exchange for free or discounted items?

I DO make a profit and NOT based upon a bonus, but apparently you did not read my above replies/comments. I CHOOSE LLR to be my distributor, knowing full well I don’t get to choose my prints. I know my other options. And, no, my business does NOT rely on others hosting in their home…. I do 95% of my business online with no “parties” hosted and the other 5% in MY home. So, concernedcitizen, maybe you should concern yourself with a little more education.

My Absolute favorite part is #7!!!! I do not get it! Why involve yourself in the stress of getting that said item, and you are not even guaranteed that said item because you have 60 others trying for the same said item! I get it, maybe the smaller group (which is me) did not order 150 of the same style/size! But, because I ordered less, maybe, I have just as good of items as that supersized group.
I Wish I could share this to my personal page, and business Page, and heck, my vip group too. It is so true, it has my heart beating fast!!! lol. Call me crazy but these words speak to me. I am a consultant, no downline, some help from hubby, but I also have a family! I love my customers, I love my group! I have loyal customers, who also shop around! It kind of frustrates me because they go to those supersized groups, and you all are clawing for the same dang item.

How about you join her in helping with something she is passionate about? Voice your concerns, but also try to see her side. My husband helps me with our LLR business and I can honestly say it has improved our communication and helped us to get closer. We set goals together, we support each other, and yes, we sometimes fight about how much time we devote to the business, but the fact that we are supporting each other in something that will help us achieve our family goals is well worth it.

I’m just a customer. While several local consultants are going out of business, every consultant I’ve worked with has been helpful , kind and hard working.
My complaint is with the patterns. I don’t work in an office. I breed and show labradors. I can’t wear the majority of the patterns in the ring. One consultant recenty til me that the reason five consultants can’t find the pieces I’m looking for are the pretty ones that never make it to the albums. Why then don’t they make an equal number of pretty prints to the nonsensical over done patterns on florals with bugs
I’m not the target audience. But after spending at least a couple grand on LLR this year, I feel like I should have more than ten pieces I can wear in public. It’s discouraging. It’s not the consultants. It’s the lack of even slightly sophisticated patterns. It’s not sustainable. You can only wear clown prints at home.

As a customer, I have to say that I just started buying the clothes in the last 4 to 5 months. I buy clothes I can wear to the office every day. Amelias, Nicoles, Carlys paired with Lindsays, Joys, Shirleys. I also have lynnaes & T’s to wear under or over them. Over 50% of my purchases are solid colors. Reach out, find the groups that work for you. I found 2 groups that purchase a lot of larger sizes for their particular customer base and they always call me their tiny customer because I can wear the smaller pieces. I seem to get my choice of them and they let me know when something comes in their shipment they think I’d love. I love the personal shopper aspect and the fact that I don’t have to leave home to shop. My time can be spent elsewhere. When I say I’ve never had a problem getting things I want, I mean that. I have a deep charcoal/black Amelia, a black carly, a black lynnae, 2 pairs of black leggings, etc. If you truly want something you can find it. Except maybe those solid navy leggings I’ve been hunting…lol. I’m not a lularoe business owner because I don’t want to be. I do know how hard my consultants work. I have been blessed by them as well. My husband had a death in his family. I received a sympathy card from my two favorite consultants. My husband was sent a Mark by one of them as an I understand the loss gift. It is truly about building relationships and caring.